


City

by TheOtherCourse (kanevixen)



Series: The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth [4]
Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Broadway, Cell Phones, Estrangement, F/M, Long-Distance Relationship, New York City, Phone Calls & Telephones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 04:16:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3922534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanevixen/pseuds/TheOtherCourse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following Chocolate, Terry’s not convinced that Tom returning is a good idea for Kristiane, considering he’s not treated her the way Terry’s believes is right and she’s agreed to a date with someone else.</p><p>
  <img/>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	City

**CITY**

The real possibility, almost promise of seeing each other and being together again granted Tom the permission he needed to confess his feelings for me and generally talk to me again. Whatever it was, I was charmed by the effort he put into renewing our connection. He was reclaiming his place in my life, as an acquaintance, as a friend, as a lover, all of it. When I stepped off stage and back into my life instead of that of my character, Melissa handed my cell phone to me. “You’ll want to look at this,” she informed with a half smile and lifted eyebrow.

She knew some of my history with Tom, having been there for the before, during and after. We were friendly coworkers, swapping stories, advice and conversation while at the theatre. I’d never been out socially with her, but I wouldn’t necessarily be unhappy if she were included.

I reacted with a squeal and dove into my chair for my dresser to get the wig off me while I opened my text messages. ‘ _I would not wish any companion in the world but you, my Wilde one. –Tom xx_ ’ My Shakespeare-ing man was back with a line from The Tempest.

I giggled at the inside joke, and yet filled with warmth at the touching sentiment. Melissa pulled the pins that secured my wig in place and tsked with a click of her tongue.

My eyes lifted and searched out hers in the reflection. “What?”

She shook her head, with a smile, “You’ve got it bad for this one. You sighed and very nearly spilled out of that chair when you read the message.”

A surprise grin pulled at my lips, brightening my entire face, the dull cloud that surrounded me lifting up and away. “I’m in love and I never thought that would happen to me. Meliss, I get to see him again soon.”

Removing my wig, my friendly coworker tapped my shoulders lovingly, “You are glowing from the brief conversation during intermission.”

I stood up and let her unzip my costume dress. “I’m happy. He’s… We didn’t think we’d have the chance to see each other for months. He was- He’s been busy, so we haven’t talked much.” She peeled the material from me as I pondered seeing Tom again. Defining and explaining my relationship with Tom was something that wasn’t easy. The roller coaster of our history was complicated: friends, lovers, nothing, friends, lovers, to nothing again. I believed though that Tom wanted to remain lovers this time.

Before dressing in my street clothes, I sent a response to the man at the center of my mind. Using my musical repertoire to send a smartass response, I typed a lyric from Brigadoon: ‘ _There’s a smile on my face for the whole human race! Why it’s **almost**  like being in love. –K  :P_ ‘ I wasn’t going to give him complete credit since he knew very well my feelings about The Tempest.

I adored that he was three hours behind me, since he could answer right away. ‘ _There’s my Wilde one with the spitfire attitude. <3 – Tom xx’_

‘ _You moved to three hours behind so the Shakespeare rule wasn’t an issue, didn’t you? – K_ ’

‘ _God, I’ve missed you, Kristie. Can I call you? – Tom xx_ ’

‘ _I’ve missed you too. I’m not home yet. Half hour? – K_ ’

‘ _Not a moment longer, my Wilde one. I’ll call you at half past 11. – Tom xx_ ’

I floated through dressing, saying goodnight to Victor, signing autographs at the stage door and meeting Terry on the corner to walk home together. My best friend moved into Juan’s room about a month ago to be closer to his theatre and to keep me company. He didn’t want to move in the dead of winter since the cold ‘dried out his cuticles.’ I knew he was biding his time in the lower rent of Harlem until March 1st, around the same time his show, A Chorus Line opened and he was finally making real money again.

“Tom called, Terr. He told me that he loves me and he’s coming back for me.”

“I swear that I only left you four hours ago. What the eff happened?”

I hooked my arm in his to cross Eighth Avenue, talking louder than normal to hear over the tunnel traffic, post showtime. “He called during act one. Melissa saw that it was Tom and made me check my messages. He got another job, an Allen movie and he’s playing Fitzgerald.”

“Damn! That boy is hoppin’!”

“He’s talented and gifted, and he’s caught his star.”

“You’ve got stars in your eyes, diva,” he joked, looking at me sideways.

With a white toothy grin, I blinded him with a generous Cheshire. “He loves me and I love him.”

“Forgive me for being insensitive, but sweet cheeks, for how long?”

I looked at him sharply, shocked that he was casting doubt on this. “I don’t know. He didn’t know yet.”

“Starfish, are you setting yourself up for another broken heart?”

Furrowing my brow and scowling, I asked, “After being an advocate for team Tom and Kristie for so long, why the change of heart?”

“Because he hurt you. I was there. I saw the aftermath, I saw the tears, the torment… held you while you cried. I can’t see that in you again, Princess. I can’t… Unless he’s willing to come back and take you away to England, when and if you’re ready.”

I slipped my arm from him and side-stepped away from him, putting some distance between us. The truth stung, hearing it from Terry in plain English. He knocked me down a few pegs by reminding me that reality wouldn’t be far behind. “Terry, that’s idealistic for you.”

“You, my kitten, deserve so much more than a few hours here and there when it’s convenient for him. Am I the only one asking ‘what about you?’”

“I fell in love with someone that can give me a few hours here and there of spectacularly extraordinary, Terrence.”

With a seriousness that I’d never seen in him, my best friend leveled his gaze on me. “You deserve all, not sometimes.”

“What if it’s what I want: a few hours here and there?”

“I know you better than that. You’re settling, teddy bear,” he gently appealed to me.

With an edge of hysteria to my voice, I accused, “You wanted me with him!”

We stopped on the corner of Eighth Avenue and 48th Street, facing off with one another. Terry was calm, cool and collected, attempting to reason with me, feeling put on the spot and a little under the microscope. “Kristiane, I thought he would love you the way you deserve. I thought he’d invite you out to California or he’d fly back here to see you, to speak with you more often than once every two months.”

“Tom… Tom…” I shook my head, my arguments racing like the Big Apple itself. I defended, “He couldn’t… his career, my career… for now. I understand it, why don’t you?”

“Did you tell him about Matt?”

“Matt who?” As soon as I said it, I gasped and covered my mouth, ashamed that I forgot. A few hours ago, I promised to go to dinner with Terry’s cast mate, a date with a lovely Ohioan.

“Tulip, this isn’t you…”

My cell phone rang, the Englishman at the center of a disagreement with my best friend cutting us off. “Terry, this is me.” I waved my phone before him, to accentuate my point. “I’m in love with him. I want him, whatever he can give me, because he deserves my commitment to him.”

I turned on my heel to continue my walk to my apartment without Terry, my attention on the man I wanted to talk with. “Tom, perfect timing.” The harassed, breathless tone put him on alert immediately.

“Kristie, what’s wrong?”

I sighed, “Terry and I… we’re having a thing.”

“Do you need to talk about it?”

Holding the phone close as though it was Tom himself, I dug my keys to my door out of my bag. “I’m not sure you want to hear it.”

“Kristiane,” he attempted to pull it from me. When I said nothing, but let myself into my building, he said, “This is about me then.”

“I’m sorry, Tom. I had to tell him what you were sworn not to tell anyone, but he won’t share. He had a few objections of us… of me falling back into this. I think he’s only angry because I agreed to a date with one of his cast mates, but with you coming back to New-“

“You were dating someone else?”

“No! … well, yes… but no! I agreed to a dinner with him,” my stomach dropped out with a sickening feeling of dread. How was I going to explain this? “Tom… I forgot when we spoke earlier. I only did it earlier tonight, but I can cancel.”

The man that I fell hard for sounded almost betrayed, “No, you shouldn’t cancel. I told you not to wait for me,” his voice went cold. “I foolishly assumed that you were…”

“Tom, please I don’t want to argue with you. I told you when you left that I wouldn’t give up on us. I love you and I want to be with you. I just wanted to get Terry off my back. Please… don’t be upset.”


End file.
